Railway time-burning signal-fusee.



UNITED STATES PATE onn on.

VL'OUIS s. Ross, or NEW ONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

- RAILWAY TIME-BURNIiTG SIGNAL-FUSEE.

No Drawing;

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Loms'S, Ross, 21 citizen of the United, States, and a resident of V NeWt-onville, in the county of Middlesexand State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Railway Time-Burning signal-Fusees, of WhlC-ll the following de scrlption' 1s a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mary 'objectithereof being to produce afusee necessarilysubjected, and which will not be extinguished when thrown from a moving train or otherwise subjected to severe shock,

and which insurescontinuity of the flame after lighting;- 7

Inmost compositions for railway signal fusees produced prior to my invention, there have been certain recognized characteris tics of .the ingredients contained in the fusees that render the latterentremely-susceptible to spontaneous ignition, particu-. larly in tlie presence of heat or moisture.

The railways of the United States-for a number of years past have maintained a bureau for the safe transportation of ex.-

- plosives and other dangerous articles. This bureau employs chemists to investigate questlons relating to the manufacture of explosives and other dangerous articles, and

from time to time makes regulations'and issues specifications prescribing the inherent. characteristics. of time burning railway sig-- nal fuse es., These. regulations must be passed upon and approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission to render them le gally' binding and efiective, In accordance. with the requirements .of the said bureau,

railway signal fusees comprise a paper tube of heavy, tough fiber, in which the compo sition is packed, carrying at one end a spike adapted to penetrate the railway ties or bed and having at its opposite end means for igniting the fusee.

Railway signal fusees-are usually thrown from the rear of a moving train and are necessarilyjiitherefore subjected to rough paper tube of sutficientistrength to withstand this usage without breakage, .These fusee paper tubes. are therefore made of heavy, tough fiber, as stated; and the rail- :Specification of Letters Patent.

time burning railway signal fusees, the -pri-' usage. It. is ,therefore necessary to have theroads require that vthe finished fusee must stand a specified, relatively heavy weight. at-

its center when supported-at its ends. One

fusee after-burning a-number of seconds in a1r must burn a specified time when completely submerged n water. It isfurther must burn a predetermined specified length of time. u force of flame and it must burn under-either tions." In other words, the railway signal or even in poolsi'of water or snow-hanks;

contained sulfur and potassium chloi'ate as fundamental; ingredients, with the single exing sulfur. For many years it has tofore combined were .su'bjct t0. spontapresence of heatand moisture ofsulfurous and "sulfuric acids. which in the presenceof until a condition is reached that spontaneous c ombl1st-1on.-

The so-called chlorate time burning nail 3y reason of the necessity of biirningthe tube in uniformitywith the burning of the the composition burn with force and bril way signal fusees heretofore employed have.

, Patented May 7, 1912,. 3 Application filed February 15, 1912. Serial No. 677,852.

of'thev tests of the said bureau is that the required by the said bureau that" the fusee '4 i It must burn with brilliaucv and favorable or unfavorable weather condifusee must burn' in strong winds or storms I ceptionthat a perchlorate,preferably per" chlorate-of potassium, hasbeeii.substituted for the chlorate in a composition contain .8'0

7 been known thaii time burning railway signal fusees ccntaining. sulfur and potassium. chlora'te as here-- neous ignition and -c (,n1biis.tion due toclimatic conditions of heat and moisture, be-ff -causeof the presence ofsaid ingredients-in,-

the composition, and attempts-have been.- .1 made for many years by railwayic hemists v andothers to overcome-thisgseriousdefectfi "Such spontaneous ignition has been at tributedto the productionby sulfur in-the potassium chlorate decompose the latteriand generate chlorin peroxid'. The formationof sulfuric acid from sulfur 1 requires the presence of oxygen which is readily iobtained in the breaking up ofthe potassium, chlorate, whereby heat is generated, acceler ating and helping to continue the reaction producesion -way signal fuseeis composed-of...chlorate, sulfur, carbohydrate-and metallic nitrate mv p suitable proportions. In ordento overcomethe tendency to spontaneous ignition characteristic ofthe chlorate fusee, a so-called perchlorate fusee has been made by substituting perchlorate of potassium for the chlorate ofpotassium.

A fusee made of mixtures containinga perchlorate, such a's'perchlorate of potassium, is recognized to be harder to ignite and more easily extinguished when thrown from a moving train than a fusee of the socalled chlorate type. The so-called perchlorate fusee, in spite of this objection, is

used because of itssubstantial freedom from spontaneous ignition. v

Because of the fact that a perchlorate fusee' is substantially free from danger of spontaneous ignition, I have conducted a series of experiments in order to produce if possible a perchlorate fusee that will not be readily extinguished by sudden shock and "the flame of which will burn with continuity. I have as the result of said experi- 'ments discovered that if a relatively short portion of the fusee at the igniting end contain an excess quantity of sulfur or per chlorate. and preferably perchlorate. that such fusee when ignited will burn with excessive or extreme force and rapidity until said short portion is consumed and that thereafter the fusee will continue to burn with normal force and rapidity; because then in a quiescent condition.

The remaining portion of the fusee is preferably composed wholly of ingredients in normal proportion, because if it contain the indicated increased percentage-of potassium perchlorate or eyen of sulfur, it will burnwith such rapidity and force as to be consumed before the expiration of the time interval during which the fusee should burn.

Moreover the indicated excessive percentage of perchlorate it continued throughout the fusee would render the cost of the fusee pro- .hibitive.

Perchlorate fusees as heretofore manufactured usually contain from five or six to twenty per cent. of potassium or other perchlorate combined with which are nitrate. sulfur and carbohydrate. with charcoal and antimony if desired. in substantially the following proportions :--nitrate to 95%, sulfur 3 to 23%,

charcoal 191;. antimony 1%.

carbohydrate 1 to 119?,

tained a fusee having the combined advantages of thegerchlorateand of the chlorate fusee.

The length of that portion of, the fits-eecontaining the excessive quantity of perchlorate of potassium or other ingredient may be varied within the scope of my in vention and may and preferably'does varV with the diameter of the fusee, andalso in some cases will vary with variations in the total length of the fusee. Preferal-ly,'however, I make such portion of the fusee long enough to occupy about one minute in burn- 7 ing. In other words. I have obtained excellent results by making such portion of the fusee' containing an excessive quantity of perchlorate or sulfur about one inch in length.

In 'certain cases. fusees are held in the trainmans hand fora considerable period as atorch signal and immediately thereafter are thrown to the ground. 'herefore. that portion of the fusee containing .the excessive proportion of perchlorate or. sulfur should be long enough to insure the burn:

mg of the fusee with increased force and rapidity until after the fusee has been so thrown to the ground.

In accordance with my invention, preferably provide, as customary in the "so-called perchlorateafusee. a suitable mixture of perchlorate (preferably perchlorateior potassium) though I may employ any suitable perchlorate,-+sulfur, carbohydrate or carbonaceous material and a metallic salt, such as a metallic nitrate or oxid, to which, if desired, I may addcharcoal and "antimony. The perchlorate of potassium is used to furnish the principal supply of oxygen, the sulfur mainly to increase combustion, the carbohydrate or carbonaceous material to furnish carbon and hydrogen to aid com bu'stion and to smooth and deepen the flame. and the metallic. salt, preferably thatof strontium. barium or sodium to constitute the base or coloring ingredients. While the proportions of these ingredients may be varied, they are preferably those previously stated. The carbonaceous material preferably employed by me consists of rosin or red gum, charcoal and sawdust and grease in suitable proportions.

The increased proportion of the perchlorate of potassium in the described portion of the fusee at the igniting end may be varied to burn with excessive or extreme force and rapidly, I preferably reinforce that partof the fusee tube or casing that surrounds or contains the described portion of the fusee composition. This I do in order to prevent the burning away tooquickly of this portion of the fusee tube or casing. This result- I besteiiect by providing a short supplemental paper or other case placed either inside of outside the fusee case at the igniting end, such supplemental case being preferably of a length substantially corresponding to the lengthof that portion of the fusee containing the excessive; quantity of perchlorate. Theprovision of'this supplemental case enforcesa slight chimneying, which does not continue after the flame has reached that portionof the fusee containing the normal proportion of ingredients, and therefore is not-"objectionable. This enforced chimneying is of advanta-gg as it prevents too rapid burning awayof the fusee caseat the igniting end.

The fusee case-maybe otherwise ,con

structed as usual", I andis preferably provided with ahandle-or spike at one end and with any suitable: ignitingfmeans at the. other end.

In defining the fuseef as provided at the igniting-end excessv quantity vof pen chlorate; 0r sulfunal include constructions wherein the portion ofv the fusee containing such' excess quantity does not extend to the" very ignitingtip ofthe fusee, but terminates more or less short thereof. -'By providing f p the described excess quantity at the 1gn1t-' ing end, that is, at 'or moreo-r less near the extreme igniting tip, I provide means whereby the fusee not" extinguished when thrown, even though it'be held inthe hand for a more or less shortinterval after lightmlbefore throwing.

mal force and rapidity,v and theremainder,

.It willbe eviden from the foregoing description that a fireworks compo-11nd such as a rail-way fusee signal constructed in ac-' cordance with my invention possesses the marked advantage of the perchlorate fusee in that it is substantially free from liability 'to spontaneous ignition, and that it is free from all tendency to be'readily extinguished from sudden shock. In other words, a fusee constructed" in, accordance with my -i 'n vention will b'urn'under all adverse conditions.

Having thus described one embodiment of my invention and the best manner known to me for carrying the same into eifect, I. desire it to be understood that the scope of the invention is set forth in the following claims.

Claims. l. A time burning railway signal fusee containing sulfur and a perchlorate, a short portion of said fusee at the igniting end having both of said ingredients commingled, one of said ingredients being contained therein in excess, thereby to canse the burningof said portion with excesslveior-abnoror abnormal force and rapidity, and the (res nialnder of said fusee hav ng'saIdiIigredI- with less forceand; rapidity;

of said fusee having said ingredients normally proportioned, thereby to burn with portion with excessive orabnormal forceand'rapidit-y, and the remainder of said fusee having said ingredients normally proportioned, thereby. to ,burn with less force and rapidity. 1 2 3. ,A time burning railway signal fusee containing metallic ni't-rate, sulfur and perchlorate. of; potassium, 'a short portion of said fusee at-the igniting end having said ingredients conimingled, at least one of said lat-tertwo ingredients being contained therea m nexcess', thereby to cause the burning of S9516. portion with excessive or abnormal fOrceI-and-rapidity, and the remainder of said fusee having said ingredients normally proportioned, thereby .to-[burn with less force and rapidity; i

4. A time' burning comprising a metallic nitrate carbonaceousmaterial,sulfur, and aperchlorate, a shortp'ortion of said fnsee'at' theiigniting: end hav ng saidingredients co1nrningled,;at

least; one of'said latter two ingredients being contained therein in excess, thereby? to cause v signal fusee I i theburning of said .po'rtionvwith excessive ents normally proportioned, thereby to burn 5. A time burning railwayp-signal comprising. a metallic nitrate, sulfur, a [carbohydrate and V a perchlorate, ashort por ion of said fusee at the -igniting: end havingsolfur and perchlorate 'commingled, sa'idi-per-v v chlorate being containedftherein in-excess, f' 1'10 thereby to cause the burningof said portion with excessive or abnormal force and rapldity, and the. remainder, of sald fusee having said ingredients normally proportioned,

thereby to burn with less forceand rapidity. i 1

. containing metallic nit-rate, sulfur, a -carb0- 6. A time burning railway signal fuseehydrate .and perchlorate of potassium, a

short-portion of said fusee at the igniting end having sulfur and perchlorate of potassium comnnngled; said perchlorateof potassium being contained therein in excess,

thereby to cause the burning of saidportion I with excessive or abnormal force and rapidity, and the remainder of said fusee having said ingredients normally proportioned, thereby to burn with less force and rapidity.

7.;A-time burning railway signal fusee, containing sulfur and a perchlorate, said fusee having two. sections both containing said ingredients in commingled condition,

but containing differing proportions of one of'said ingredients, and therefore burnnble with (li tering degrees of force and rapidity.

8. A time burning railway signal t'nsee containing metallic salt, sulfur and per-, chlorate of potassium, a short portion of said fusee at the igniting end having said ingredients coininingled, at least one of said. latter two ingredients being contained therein in excess thereby to cause the burning of i said portion With excessive or abnormal 

